Dirty Old Man: A Love Story
by Jaina
Summary: After the defeat of Beryl, some things remain the same, others have changed greatly, and some are just whacked-out. What's going on here?
1. Chapter One: The End of the World As You...

Dirty Old Man: A Love Story  
By Jaina the Blue Moose  
(lhanson@bgnet.bgsu.edu)  
  
Heylas! Look, I started a second fic, imagine that. This is the first Sailor Moon  
work-in-progress I've posted, so bear with me. This story takes place immediately  
post-battle with Beryl, with one major difference: no one has lost their memories.  
(No, I'm not just making things up to suit myself. If the crystal can resurrect  
them *without* their memories, it can darn well do the same thing *with* memories.)  
One day I started wondering how Andrew (yes, I'm using NA names. Because I like them.  
If you take exception to this, e-mail me.) would react to Darien and Serena suddenly  
becoming a couple, and this was the result.  
  
Thanks times infinity to LeanneB, my faithful and wonderful betareader who fixed  
everything here even when she barely knows Sailor Moon; to Aimee and Val for their  
special brand of anarchy and their frantic brainstorming about you-know-what; and to  
Angela for doing some quick revision-beta and soothing my fragile, insecure writer's ego. ;)  
  
As always, I adore feedback in any way, shape or form. (Did I mention I'm at  
lhanson@bgnet.bgsu.edu ?) Criticism is fun, too. Flames are amusing, but be sure to use  
poor grammar and bad logic so I can laugh at you. If anyone other than smrff wants to  
archive, please just e-mail me for permission first. Anywhere I'm previously archived is fine.  
  
Summary: Post-Beryl, some things remain the same, others have changed greatly, and some are   
just whacked-out. What's going on here?  
  
I own a bunch of CDs, books, and video games and absolutely NO anime characters. Sailor Moon  
is a character, not any of those things. Therefore, I do not own Sailor Moon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien stepped out from the doorway and watched an alien world pass before him. Ha.  
`Alien' indeed. In point of fact, Darien's little corner of Tokyo bore no difference  
now from when he'd last stepped through the front door to his apartment building. The  
same stores were open for business, the same families rushed to work or to school, and  
the same bums occupied the alleys. Visually, the city was the same as it had ever been...  
and yet so different. Even as its sameness was being impressed upon Darien's mind, the  
city seemed bizarre in its normalcy, for Darien knew that the change was not in the  
Tokyo's buildings or inhabitants, but in Darien himself.  
  
Incredible. It was the only word Darien could think of that accurately described the  
situation, and even that wasn't entirely true. How could he find a word to describe his  
worldview after what he'd just been through? Along that line, how was he going to explain  
to Andrew where he'd been and what he'd been doing for the past month? As his best friend  
and designated next-of-kin, the other student had been notified after Darien stopped  
showing up for classes and didn't pay his rent. After a near-death revival and group  
teleport courtesy of the Silver Imperium Crystal, Darien had returned to a dusty apartment   
and a string of frantic messages on his answering machine. Today he had to face his friend  
and explain that despite his abrupt disappearance weeks before, he was fine, everything was  
fine, and things would go back to normal.  
  
Riiiiiight.  
  
`I can just imagine how this will go,' Darien thought cynically as he headed towards the  
arcade. He pulled at his collar with irritation; for once, his beloved jacket and  
turtleneck just didn't seem to fit. It wasn't a size issue. Despite the near-complete  
brainwash Beryl and her cronies had forced on him, the ebony armor he'd worn while in the  
Negaverse had just seemed...right, so much more than the casual clothes he now sported.  
`Don't worry, Andrew old buddy. I'm fine now. By the way, did I mention that I'm Tuxedo  
Mask? That's why Queen Beryl of the Negaverse kidnapped me and used magic to subvert me  
to her side. I'm also Prince Endymion of Earth, and I'm in love with the Moon Princess,  
who just happened to be reincarnated along with the rest of her court and me. Oh, and  
she's Serena.' Sure. After he finished that story, Darien could count on giving himself  
a nice long hug in a new white shirt. If he'd really wanted to, Darien supposed he could  
write off the whole experience as some massive hallucination, including the previous few  
months he'd spent running around in a tuxedo and cape. He could chalk the notion up to an  
extremely long, extremely detailed drug trip if not for the fact that he didn't do drugs  
and that, Darien strongly suspected, he could still produce a rose-shaped missile from thin  
air if he really wanted to.  
  
And then there was Serena. Now that he was back in control of his own soul, Darien couldn't  
deny his feelings for the meatball-headed superhero; truth be told, he didn't want to. It   
was more than destiny, if anything could be. In his last coherent moments before the searing  
pain of Zoisite's blade overwhelmed him, Darien recalled feeling something inside him stir  
as Serena's dual identity was revealed. `Yes,' it cried out. `This is what you need. This   
is what you want.' After that, as the rainbow crystals merged, Darien felt the past rise like  
a song within him, saw Serena transform into the princess of his dreams...and embraced his  
destiny.  
  
Yep. Just an average day in the life of Darien Chiba.  
  
Darien sighed as he rounded the corner to reach Andrew's family's arcade. Whatever was  
going to happen between Serena and him, and nothing else had yet aside from a few longing  
glances on both their parts, it would have to wait until he was through lying to his best  
friend.  
  
"DARIEN!" As soon as he entered the arcade, Darien was attacked by a petite waitress who  
moved like lightning and hit him with the force of a cannonball. "Darien, we were so  
worried," sobbed Lizzie, arms clenched around him like a vise. "Where were you? I thought   
you might be dead! Andrew said he was sure you'd be okay but he kept calling and calling  
and you never turned up and I thought we'd never see you again..."  
  
"Lizzie, it's okay, honestly." Darien moved his arms around her shoulders in what he hoped  
was a reassuring motion. "I'm right here, and I can assure you that I'm definitely not  
dead." Her sobs subsided somewhat until she was just sniffling. "Um...do you need a tissue?"  
  
"No," she sniffed, releasing his aching ribs and wiping her eyes. "I've got to get to school.  
Great, I'm sure I look terrible now...but I'm so glad you're okay!" She beamed up at him once  
before dashing out, leaving Darien somewhat shell-shocked.  
  
"DARIEN!" Darien braced himself when he heard the second shout, but thankfully Andrew had  
the good sense to stop before he knocked his friend over. "God, Darien, where have you  
been?" Andrew cried, goofy grin and furious countenance fighting for dominance of his face.  
  
"Ah...right. Um..." Darien struggled mentally to find an answer that would both satisfy Andrew  
and discourage pointed questions. `Appendicitis. Sick friend. Car broke down in another  
country. Alien abduction.' "I was mugged." Well, crap.  
  
"Mugged," Andrew repeated the word evenly, then blinked. "A month ago?"  
  
"They attacked me," Darien invented hastily. "I guess my paltry wallet wasn't quite what  
they wanted, so they decided to beat the hell out of me. I remember a couple of burly guys,  
but not much else. When I went down, I cracked my head on the pavement and didn't come to  
until about a week ago."  
  
"Jesus!" Andrew gasped. "And you're already back home? Where did this happen, anyway? I  
called every hospital in Tokyo."  
  
"Uh...Okinawa. I was visiting a museum I'd read about," Darien invented frantically.  
"Honestly, it's not as bad as it sounds. The hospital I was in is developing some new  
treatment for head injuries and they purposely kept me under so they could use it to heal  
me faster. They couldn't call anyone about me because my wallet was gone, and I was so  
dazed when I woke up that I didn't even think about it until I got home. I'm sorry, buddy."  
  
"That's...all right," Andrew shook his head, still somewhat confounded by all that had  
happened to Darien. If he only knew. "Right. Um. Well, I'm happy that you're all right,  
Darien. You had us really worried. Hey, do you want to hang around here today, get caught  
up on things? I don't have any classes today."  
  
"Thanks, but no. I've got to get going, I have some unfinished business to take care of,"  
Darien said. "See you later?"  
  
Andrew nodded. "Definitely! Come by when you get the chance."  
  
Darien headed back out into the welcoming sunshine and wondered where to go next. Class was  
out of the question. The Negaverse certainly hadn't given a thought to his convenience when  
they abducted him. After a month of missed classes, being hopelessly behind was the best  
Darien could wish for. Summer term was a distinct possibility. There was only one thing  
on Darien's mind at the moment, and it absolutely Would Not Wait. Of course, first he had  
to *find* Serena, and she was probably on her way to school by now.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
He turned and there she was, a vision of gold hair and pale skin in a school uniform. So  
unlike her heroic alter ego, Serena smiled up at him a bit bashfully. There was no sparkle  
here, nothing that suggested the royalty or immense power that were very much a part of her.  
She was simply Serena...and Darien couldn't wish for anything else. "I thought I saw you,"  
she continued. "Um..how are you?"  
  
"Uh...good." Much better than the night before, when he and the rest of the Scouts, after  
being pulled together from whatever near-death realm they'd been in, had been unceremoniously  
dumped in the middle of Juuban park by the Crystal. At least, Darien assumed it was the  
Crystal; Sailor Moon herself looked wrecked and was half passed out when they'd arrived home.  
Even then he'd wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and carry her away so they  
could talk. To his chagrin, Luna and Artemis, having somehow sensed their return and gone  
to the park to greet them, had been firm in their insistence that everyone go straight to  
their homes and a healing sleep. He had stumbled home without thinking just in time to  
collapse on his bed and wonder if everything had been a dream.  
  
"...I said I think we should talk," Serena said, and Darien realized that he'd been staring.  
"About what's been happening, I mean. You've been through so much, and I wasn't sure how  
much you'd remember...how much do you remember?" she asked with an expression that fairly  
screamed `Please, please remember me!'  
  
"You're right, we should." Darien pondered how to phrase his next statement, then just bit  
the bullet. "Serena, nothing's changed."  
  
Serena winced, and Darien's heart shifted a gear or ten as he wondered what he'd said wrong.  
Dare he even think it...could she have changed her mind about him?  
  
"I see," Serena said carefully, "I guess I should go, then. There's a Scout meeting at the  
Temple this afternoon, if you want to come." She turned to leave as Darien's mind started  
screaming `No! Idiot! She thinks you mean that *you* haven't changed, that all you see  
her as is a meatball-headed child! Stop her!'  
  
"Serena, wait!" Darien burst out, and grabbed her hand before she could get far. Her eyes  
were wide as the full moon when she turned, and half of Darien's mind, possibly the half  
that kept screaming instructions at him, wondered how such a powerful fighter could have  
such soft skin. The other half fumbled for something to say that would actually mean  
something. "I didn't mean that, Serena. I meant-I do remember my time as Beryl's  
disciple; I remember everything. What I said isn't true, *everything's* changed. I  
just meant..." He struggled to find the words; reaching out to someone was something he  
hadn't done in a long time, and like an unused muscle, his ability to do so seemed to have  
grown weaker with time. "Serena," he said, placing a hand under her chin and tilting it  
up to face him, "I just wanted to tell you that what hasn't changed is how I feel about you."  
  
"How do you feel about me?" Serena whispered.  
  
For a moment, Darien wondered how to answer her. Truly, what could he say? "I've never felt  
about anyone the way I feel about you"? "I've never told anyone `I love you' and I want to  
say it now but I don't know how"? Looking at her wide, hopeful eyes, Darien had a sudden  
flash the last time she'd looked at him like this-shortly before he'd planned to behead her.  
He shuddered. Was there a word to describe what he'd felt as his memories had washed over  
him, a word to explain how thoroughly he'd hated himself for even trying to harm her? For  
all his education, Darien couldn't find the right thing to say, so he did the next best thing.  
  
He kissed her.  
  
It was a soft kiss at first, a simple pressing of one pair of lips to another, but Darien  
quickly felt himself falling into another world. Tokyo disappeared; suddenly all of his   
thoughts and emotions were centered on this kiss with Serena. He felt her jump a tiny bit  
as he made contact, but somehow he knew that to stop kissing her would be a Very Bad Thing,  
so he wrapped his arms around her waist and after a few moment felt the intensity of the  
kiss double as she began to kiss him back. Again and again their lips met, and somehow he  
had pulled her even closer to his body; her arms were around his neck and he could feel her  
pulse racing along with his own.  
  
Suddenly, Darien felt an uncontestable urge to know what Serena tasted like. He opened his  
mouth slightly and ran his tongue along her smooth lips until she gasped slightly, enough  
to allow him entrance. He was careful to be gentle; from her reaction, Serena hadn't kissed  
anyone like this before, at least not in this lifetime. His worldview narrowed even further  
as he entered the sweet warmth of her mouth. Hesitantly, Serena took the lead, and touched  
his tongue with the tip of her own. The electricity between them seemed to almost crackle  
audibly. Tender and inviting, Darien finally knew what Serena tasted of; mint toothpaste,  
probably the most common brand in Japan, but here and now it was special, a subtle hint  
of flavor on her tongue that he would thereafter always associate with Serena.  
  
Of course, all this ran through Darien's mind in seconds; then he was adrift, lost in  
the sensation of kissing Serena. Tongues caressed tenderly and dueled fiercely in  
alternation. He had long since closed his eyes to further focus his mind. Serena's  
arms were locked around his neck, pulling him closer down to her level, which Darien  
didn't mind at all. He ran his hands up and down her back, rubbed her back in small   
circles with his palms. She shivered, and it felt so good that he tried it again.  
  
The kiss(es?) seemed to end by mutual consent. Slowly, the deep, hungry kisses lessened  
to softer and shorter ones, repeated over and over until their lips finally parted and  
the couple just held one another close, both breathing heavily. Darien kept his eyes  
closed for a few minutes more, not wanting to let the experience end. He pulled Serena's  
trembling body close once more and simply treasured the feel of her in his arms. For so   
long, he'd thought he'd never have this, and here she was. His princess, his love, was  
beside him at last.  
  
He prayed that he'd never have to let her go.  
  
When he finally opened his eyes, Serena was smiling up at him. "Hi," he said quietly.  
  
"Hi," she replied, then "Wow."  
  
"You can say that again," Darien grinned, and she giggled. He could stay like this forever,  
he mused inwardly. Who cared if they were in the middle of the city? People could walk  
around them.  
  
"Oh, NO!" Serena yelped suddenly, breaking his train of thought.  
  
"What? What is it?" Darien released her from his embrace and looked around frantically,  
tensed to pull out a rose and transform into Tuxedo Mask as soon as he saw whatever  
enemy had made her shriek like that.  
  
"I'm going to be so late!" Serena wailed. "How am I going to explain this to Miss Haruna?  
Making out doesn't exactly fall under acceptable excu-"  
  
Darien silenced her with a quick kiss. "Silly," he smiled, "My car's not too far away.  
If we run, I can get you to school on time."  
  
"Oh, thank you!" Serena threw herself into his arms one more time and initiated a kiss for  
the first time. "Darien," she started, suddenly shy, "I-"  
  
"I know." He squeezed her hand. "Me, too. Now let's run!"  
  
Both Darien and Serena had been so wrapped up in each other that they'd completely failed  
to notice the face staring out from the Arcade's window. As they dashed off, Andrew  
struggled to lift his jaw from the floor. He moved his mouth to form words, but "GAK!"  
was all he could choke out. He rubbed his eyes, trying to remove the afterimage of what   
he'd just seen. Serena and *Darien*, locked in a clinch and making out like their lives  
depended on it. The very idea of it was so impossibly bizarre that all coherent thoughts   
except one flew from his mind.  
  
Just how hard had Darien hit his head?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*cackle cackle*  
  
Send feedback. All the other kids are doing it.  
lhanson@bgnet.bgsu.edu  
www.katido.com  



	2. Chapter Two: This Is Not Happening

Dirty Old Man: A Love Story  
Chapter Two  
  
The grass was purple. The sky was really a gigantic ceiling painted blue. The   
moon was made of cotton candy.  
  
All these things had to be true if Andrew's eyes had not deceived him.  
  
"This has got to be a dream," Andrew said out loud, and squeezed his eyes shut.   
A dream--that was the answer, it had to be. When he woke up, he would be at   
home in bed and not worried about early morning hallucinations. He opened his   
eyes.  
  
Damn.  
  
It was true. It couldn't be true. How could it be true? How could Darien,   
worldly, *cynical* Darien, who shoved people away and denied the possibility of   
finding lasting love, possibly be kissing Serena, the meatball-headed *junior-  
high* student he detested? Honestly, kissing was an understatement. The   
couple he'd seen had been…caressing. Entwined. Enmeshed. `Groping' came to   
mind, but Andrew shoved *that* thought away. Andrew was a fairly good math   
student and the thought that Serena plus Darien equaled *anything* just Did Not   
Compute. Darien was guarded, quiet, and occasionally bordered on bitter.   
Serena was his polar opposite; she was so friendly, so open and warm,   
so…so…so *young*!  
  
What the hell was Darien doing with a schoolgirl, anyway?!  
  
Urgh. His brain was starting to lock up again. Andrew reviewed what he knew:   
  
1) Darien and Serena had nothing approaching fuzzy feelings for one another.   
Serena's tendency to get steamed when Darien was within a mile of her had   
made this patently obvious on more than one occasion, and Darien himself had   
commented more than once on her immaturity.  
  
2) Darien had abruptly disappeared for several weeks and come back with a   
plausible but unlikely excuse. During that time, Serena had seemed depressed   
for a period but quickly bounced back to normal. She gave no sign that she   
knew where Darien was, much less that she was meeting him secretly. She'd   
spent as much time at the Arcade as she always did; sudden absences would   
have been noticed.  
  
3) With absolutely no warning, Darien had practically dropped out of the sky.   
Soon after he was spotted kissing Serena with an intensity usually reserved for   
last-minute term papers.  
  
Therein did the logic break down.  
  
Why was this happening? Heck, why was he so freaked out by this? Under   
normal circumstances, Andrew would applaud the fact that Darien appeared to   
have found someone. It was tough sometimes, to be so happy with Rita, even   
when they were continents apart, and to watch his best friend walk through life   
pretending he didn't need anyone. But these just weren't normal circumstances,   
and Darien's aberrant behavior had Andrew perplexed. Maybe Rita could make   
some sense out of this; they'd agreed to call each other every two weeks, and   
today was his turn. Calculating in the time difference, it would be just late   
enough to call her in Kenya. He sighed, flipped the door sign to "Closed," and   
headed to the back room.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Serena! Wait up!" Molly ran across the schoolyard and yanked on   
Serena's sleeve to get her attention. "Geez, what's wrong with you? I shouted   
and shouted but you didn't even look my way!"  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Moll," Serena replied, dopey grin firmly plastered to her face.   
"I guess I was thinking about something else."  
  
"Or someone else. Was that Darien driving you to school?" Molly asked   
excitedly. "I thought you two hated each other! Are you a couple now?"  
  
"Erm, well, that is…" Serena's cheeks flushed as she struggled for an answer that   
would satisfy her inquisitive best friend. Moon princesses and making out aside,   
she was hesitant to define her relationship with Darien in any specific terms. It   
was too new. Serena had never been in love before--in this lifetime, at least--but   
if this was what it felt like, she wanted to keep it private for a bit longer. It just   
felt right.  
  
"Hey girls!" Serena's heart leapt at the unexpected rescue, then sunk to the pit of   
her stomach as she turned to see Melvin. "Who was that guy?" he demanded,   
further compounding her misery. "What were you doing in his car? He looked   
way too old for you, Serena. You shouldn't hang out with guys who have cars.   
They're bad news."  
  
"Oh, grow up, Melvin," Molly growled. "Serena can date whoever she wants.   
Don't get mad just because it's not you. So, is he your boyfriend?"  
  
"Yeah, we wanna know too!" Yet another pair of grinning fiends entered the   
fray as Lita and Amy jogged up. "What *is* happening with you and Darien? I   
heard someone saw you totally playing tonsil hockey by the arcade," Lita added,   
her eyes twinkling.  
  
Serena gulped. Three of her friends were staring at her with looks of rabid   
interest, one with incredulous horror. There was no way out. Her shoulders   
slumped as she mentally gave in and began to tell them everything.  
  
Well, almost everything.  
  
***  
  
Darien Chiba was practically whistling as he drove down the streets of Tokyo.   
Well, not whistling. More like humming. Actually, it was mostly just a big grin.   
Okay, it was really more of a pleasant expression than anything else, but it was   
*very* pleasant. And it was Darien, which made the expression an unusual   
occurrence to begin with.  
  
He felt strange, almost as much as he had this morning. Darien wasn't so full of   
doom and gloom that he couldn't identify happiness. The day he'd moved out   
of the orphanage into his own apartment, the moment he'd realized that Andrew   
would truly be a loyal friend to him…those had been happy days. But today   
was more than happy. Darien would need a thesaurus to accurately describe this   
day. He'd escaped the clutches of a wicked queen, found his true self while   
losing only semester's worth of tuition and he got the girl. Not at all a bad deal   
for a lurk-by-night masked superhero.  
  
Darien chuckled and hoped that Serena was in as good a mood as he was. He'd   
restrained himself to a brief peck and a promise to pick her up after school   
instead of a melding their mouths and driving off to a secluded area, but from   
the wide eyes on her friends' faces, they'd caused something of a stir. He   
supposed it wasn't every day that a junior high student was dropped off by a   
college student with a car, unless the student was with an older sibling. But   
then, Serena was special. He wanted to make her feel that way tonight, on their   
official first date. `If you don't count a thousand year old courtship and   
engagement,' his mental voice added. Speaking of that--no matter how right the   
names Serenity and Endymion felt to him, no matter how surely he knew that   
they were meant to be together, he certainly *felt* nervous. Being a prince didn't   
guarantee social skills, he mused. It had been a long time since he'd been on a   
date, and besides, the last one had been with Andrew's sister's friend's cousin   
who needed an escort to her high school dance.  
  
Andrew. Darien suddenly wondered what to tell his best friend about his new   
relationship. Should he even try? Darien gnawed his lip in uncertainty, only   
half-focused on driving as he mentally switched to autopilot. It wasn't that he   
wanted to hide anything from Andrew, much as he'd gotten used to it during the   
past year. It was just--he struggled to explain it even to himself. Darien wasn't   
one for self-pity, but he'd lost so much in the course of his life, not even counting   
what they'd all lost when the Silver Millennium fell, but Serena was here now.   
Whatever was between them belonged to them alone. He wanted to hold onto it   
a bit longer before releasing it to public scrutiny. He wondered if Serena would   
understand how he felt.  
  
Darien nearly swerved off the road in panic as a sudden thought hit him--just   
where was he going to take Serena? Sure, he'd pictured soft lighting, closeness,   
and privacy, but not an actual location. What was a good place for a first date?   
Darien frowned. He could transform, sprint across town, and arrive at a youma   
fight just in time to throw a rose and toss out an inspiring line, but dating   
required a lot more planning. Come to think of it, he'd never really planned one   
before. He'd never actually pursued a girl. Whenever one was interested in him,   
she'd coyly suggest something they could do together and would Darien simply   
acquiesce. He'd never had to return the favor for their second date because he'd   
never been interested long enough to go on one. But Darien definitely planned   
on sticking around Serena--for the rest of their lives. He wanted to start things   
out right.  
  
Maybe he should ask Andrew where he'd taken Rita for their first date. Even   
though she was thousands of miles away in Africa, their relationship remained   
strong. He'd have to get the information without letting Andrew know why he   
wanted it, but that shouldn't be difficult. Andrew had always respected Darien's   
privacy.  
***  
"Rita, you don't understand--he was kissing her. No, more than kissing, he was   
practically fondling her. His tongue was in her mouth!"  
  
His girlfriend's laughter pealed through thousands of miles of phone line. "Well,   
it's about time it was in someone's mouth!" she gasped at last.  
  
"RITA! That's not funny!"  
  
"I'm sorry!" she cried. "It's just…the image is so funny."  
  
"It is not! It's disturbing!"  
  
Rita laughed again. "Oh, come on, Andrew. Darien and little Serena…don't tell   
me that's not sweet."  
  
"That's just it! `Little' Serena. Rita, she's only fourteen. She's just a child! I   
don't know what's gotten into Darien. He's acting like…like a dirty old man!"  
  
"He's a lonely man," Rita corrected. "Andrew, you're the closest friend Darien's   
got, but you're a rarity. He walks alone through too many crowds. He needs   
someone to love and I for one am happy for him."  
  
"I want to be happy for him," Andrew protested. "It'd be great if Darien finally   
found the right girl, but he hasn't. Serena's too young for a real relationship.   
She's a great girl, but she can't give Darien what he needs. Besides, the last time   
I saw Darien he couldn't stand Serena. This is the same guy who once told me   
that he couldn't stay interested in any girl for more than fifteen minutes. And   
now he's making out with `Meatball Head' in the middle of the sidewalk?"  
  
"They were in the middle of the sidewalk? Wow. I'm impressed. I didn't know   
Darien was such an exhibitionist."  
  
"That's not the point! I mean, he isn't, that is the point. Last month he hates her,   
now he's kissing her? And it was a serious kiss. I could have hired a marching   
band to have a parade around them and they wouldn't have noticed. There's   
something fishy going on here, Rita."  
  
"Andrew, you can't honestly think he's taking advantage of her," Rita said,   
sounding concerned for the first time. "I mean, this is Darien. If he told a lie, his   
nose would grow six feet."  
  
"Normally, I'd agree with you, but he did have a head injury. They can affect   
people in weird ways. I'm going to keep a close eye on him for a while."  
  
"Just don't interfere with his business," she warned. "I've got to get going, love.   
We have an early day tomorrow and I've got a lot of work left."  
  
"Okay," Andrew said. "I'll count the days until your call. I love you, Rita."  
  
"I love you too, sweetie. Bye."  
  
Andrew hung up the phone and stared at it. Rita had a way of effortlessly   
calming him down when he was tense. One of the million reasons he missed her   
so much. Could she be right? It was true that Darien didn't let people get too   
close to him. He even kept Andrew at a certain distance, and they'd been friends   
for years. It would be nice to see him smile more. He'd certainly looked happy   
that morning, and God knew he deserved to be, even if the person causing that   
happiness was a fourteen-year-old…junior high student…with pigtails…  
  
What was he thinking? Of course Rita was wrong! The situation was abnormal.   
Aberrant, and it plain didn't make sense. Andrew just had to find Darien and   
force him to come to his senses before he made a bigger mistake than he already   
had.  
  
He got his chance a few hours later when Darien walked in. He took a seat by   
the counter and Andrew struggled to keep a neutral expression and just kept   
wiping it down. "Welcome home, again," he said.  
  
"Thanks," Darien said. "Although the amount of dust in my apartment almost   
makes me wish I'd stayed unconscious. At least then I wouldn't have to see the   
mess."  
  
Andrew grinned. "Darien, you need to embrace the mess. Make friends with it.   
It's unnatural for a college student's apartment to be as immaculate as yours is."  
  
Darien laughed. "Sorry, pal, but I've got to be me. Actually, seeing all that dust   
is pretty startling. It doesn't feel like I've been gone that long."  
  
"Long enough for us to worry," Andrew said. "I called Rita this morning. She   
was glad to know you're all right."  
  
"How's she doing, anyway? Does Africa agree with her?" Darien asked, looking   
almost guilty for an instant.  
  
"She's great. Her studies are going well. She might even finish a semester   
early."  
  
Darien chuckled. "I always ask her what such a smart girl is doing with a   
schmuck like you, but she never answers me."  
  
"Charm, man. Pure charm." Andrew grinned knowingly. "Plus my devastating   
good looks. Just one date, and she had to have me."  
  
Darien rolled his eyes. "Sure. And I'm a Sailor Senshi."  
  
"Darien. I do not need the image of you in a tiny little skirt and bows." Andrew   
grimaced.  
  
Darien laughed. "Just trying to keep your swelled head from floating off your   
shoulders. What did you guys do on your first date, anyways? I want to know   
your amazing technique."  
  
"Well, I was pretty broke back then," Andrew admitted. "All I could afford was   
dinner, so afterwards, instead of a movie, I took her for a boat ride on the lake at   
the park."  
  
"You have a boat?"  
  
"It's just a tiny old rowboat," Andrew said. "It was my dad's, but when he   
decided he didn't want it anymore I took it and patched it up."  
  
"Gee, Andrew, how come you never took me out for a moonlight boat ride? I'm   
hurt," Darien teased.  
  
"It worked, didn't it? I got the girl," Andrew retorted. "But then, you're not   
looking for commitment. You wouldn't be interested in an actual relationship."   
He watched Darien closely to catch his reaction to that.  
  
He just laughed again. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me," he   
said.  
  
"Really. Well, if you ever do fall in love, let me know. I'll be sure to alert the   
press." Andrew said.  
  
Darien looked away. "I'll do that," he said. "Hey, do you think I could borrow   
your boat later?"  
  
Andrew blinked. "Tonight? What for?" Darien hesitated. "What, do you have   
a date or something?" Andrew asked pointedly.  
  
"No! It's…for my bio lab. My professor said I could make up some of the time I   
lost by collecting water samples," Darien said quickly.  
  
"Why can't you just get them from the edge of the pond?"  
  
"Too muddy."  
  
"Uh…sure, then. It's in the storage room at my apartment complex. Here, let me   
give you the code." He scribbled the number on a napkin and handed it over.  
  
"Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate it." Darien glanced at his watch. "Geez, today is   
flying by. I've got to go."  
  
"Already? It's only two thirty."  
  
"I've got…things to do. I'll see you later."  
  
Andrew narrowed his eyes as he watched Darien leave. "Things to do…I'll just   
bet," he murmured. Andrew was sure that something was wrong with Darien,   
as if that morning's display hadn't been convincing enough. Darien wasn't a bad   
liar, but Andrew knew a flimsy excuse when he heard one. If Darien had really   
fallen for Serena, why would he try to hide their relationship? If he was   
ashamed of her…or of himself. Or if he didn't expect it to last long. Andrew   
shook his head. Darien's behavior was too…well, un-Darien, for him to make   
sense of it. The only thing he was certain of was that Darien was hiding   
things…and he was going to take sweet, innocent Serena out on the lake…in a   
tiny boat…where they'd be alone together and totally isolated. Andrew certainly   
didn't trust Darien's intentions in that kind of situation. He'd had the same kind   
once.  
  
Andrew made up his mind. He flipped the arcade's sign to "Closed" and left a   
note for Lizzie or one of the other staff members to take charge for the afternoon.   
The next shift was due to arrive in fifteen minutes, but he didn't have that long to   
wait. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door.  
  
Once and for all, he was going to find out what was happening to Darien.  



End file.
